However, foreign policy experts believe it would be a government “blunder” to “blackmail” China’s approach under US pressure. In 2019, the US reacted negatively to China’s approach.
At a press conference yesterday, Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said his country will not focus on forcing El Salvador to decide between approaching the United States or China.
This is a clear response to the approaches that Nayib Bukele’s government appears to be taking towards the Asian country, especially at a time when Washington’s criticism of the Salvadoran president is sharpening for his lack of democratic commitment and signs of corruption in his government.
In 2019, the United States reacted negatively to Bukele’s trip to China, warning through its embassy and other Washington officials of the risks of partnering with this country.
Foreign policy experts consulted by El Diario de Hoy believe the rapprochement with China can be endorsed by the United States, but warn that it would be stupid for Bukele if this were “blackmail” to turn to China. turn when Washington criticizes him.
You may be interested: China donates 150,000 COVID-19 vaccines to El Salvador, Bukele says
For El Salvador’s former ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, Rubén Zamora, approaching this Asian country will not have a major impact as long as China’s interest in the country is not focused on military expansion.
However, he believes the implications of a so-called “political whim” can be costly, especially since there are millions of Salvadorans in the US, many of whom need reform to regularize their stay in that country.
For Zamora, the visit of Ricardo Zúñiga, the Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, has a stronger connotation, as it already brings with it clear guidelines: to monitor respect for democracy, human rights and the fight against corruption.
Roberto Rubio, director of the National Development Foundation (Funde), said El Salvador is also not an economically interesting area for China, and he sees some sort of ‘blackmail’ from Bukele towards the United States, but he believes it will not work.
You may be interested: US Spanish Congressmen condemn attacks by Nayib Bukele against Norma Torres
“It would be a mistake and a political blunder to confront the United States, it is not the same to confront the NGOs, ANEP and the parties as Bukele did, there with the United States, which has to lose. is he and the land, ”Rubio inquired.
He sees that a rapprochement with China would not have major implications, as the FMLN has already done so, but all El Salvador has to offer China is its geostrategic position and to dispute space with the United States. “There he’d step into eleven-staff shirts,” remarked Rubio.
He added that if Bukele continues to confront the United States, it will lead to that country using pressure tools, such as the government’s current negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, and access to cheaper financing with the United States. States at risk. Bank, Mundial and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Foreign policy expert Napoleón Campos, for his part, explains that the only goal China could have in El Salvador is diplomatic recognition, something that has already been achieved with the government of former President Salvador Sánchez Cerén.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED: The US Government Sees a Worrying Erosion of the Balance of Power in El Salvador